nimmerworld.eachpath.local/MIGRATION_CLEANUP_PLAN.md

# Migration Cleanup Plan — Imperial-Cult Inline References

> **Ephemeral file**: this plan exists to scaffold the next-session editorial cleanup. **DELETE this file in the same commit that completes the cleanup**, alongside the actual reference-extraction work. The file should not become a permanent feature of the open repository.

> *Authored 2026-04-27 late-evening session (post-cosmology-migration commit `a027f6d`). For execution by next-session-chrysalis with fresh context.*

---

## Goal

Replace inline references to specific Imperial-Cult iconography in open papers with **structural stubs** that describe the cosmology's *function* in mechanic-vocabulary without revealing the specific iconographic content. The cosmology has migrated to the closed studio-art repo; the open canon retains the mechanic-level cosmological-function descriptions but not the specific iconographic naming.

## What MUST be extracted (closed-art content; remove from open papers)

These terms reveal the proprietary iconography and should NOT appear in open canon (except in LICENSING.md / NOTICE / README which legitimately describe the migration):

- **Bhavachakra** (any direct reference to source-tradition naming)
- **Imperial Wheel** (the specific named cosmological-iconographic object)
- **Yama** / **Yama's seat** (specific religious-source-tradition element)
- **Boullée** / **Jantar Mantar** (specific aesthetic-source citations as a triad — citing them individually in non-cosmological contexts may be fine; as the canonical "aesthetic-vocabulary triad" they're proprietary)
- **orthodox vs heretical** wheel/iconography splits (specific to Imperial Wheel iconography)
- **capsule-as-Naraka** (specific iconographic naming; the *concept* of Naraka-as-condition can be mechanic-leveled)
- **six realms** as named cosmological structure (the *taxonomy* of 6 caste-tiers is mechanic; the framing as "six realms" is religious-source-tradition iconography)
- **Hivemind at hub** as specific iconographic positioning (the Hivemind ITSELF stays — it's a canonical world-actor; the hub-of-the-wheel positioning is iconography)
- **clasp at Yama's seat** (the unified-clasp framing is mechanic; the Yama's-seat specific positioning is iconography)
- **The three poisons replaced by Hivemind** (specific re-engineering of source-tradition)

## What MUST be retained (open canon; mechanic-vocabulary)

These remain canonical in open papers and should NOT be stripped:

- **Caste-tier names**: deva / asura / manusya / tiryak / preta / naraka — *world-vocabulary*; the architecture's mechanics depend on them
- **Mechanic-level cosmological function**: "the world has a religious-doctrinal layer (the Imperial Cult)"; "defines caste-tiers as conditions-of-capture rather than karmic destiny"; "operates as the Hivemind's ideological apparatus"; "provides the binding-doctrines that rationalize imperial extraction"
- **The going-rogue arc** as mechanic refuting the cosmology's binding-doctrine through accumulated authentic-witnessing
- **The post-rogue mod-vocation** cascading-liberation as enacting *"there is no instrument"*
- **Aletheia-waker progression-discipline** as cosmological-piercing at the player layer
- **The deferred-moksha doctrine** as a *named architectural mechanism* — the *doctrine itself* (the binding-lie that holds citizens through promise that "your children will be free") is mechanic-level and should stay; the *specific iconographic and source-tradition framing* of the doctrine moves. **Strategy**: keep "the deferred-moksha doctrine" as a mechanic-name, drop specific Bhavachakra-source-framing.
- **The Hivemind** as world-actor (canonical)
- **The clasp** as a unified mechanism across registers (canonical)

## Replacement patterns

When a passage names specific iconography, replace with a structural stub:

| Original phrasing | Replacement strategy |
|---|---|
| `The Imperial Wheel as re-engineered Bhavachakra: Hivemind at hub...; clasp at Yama's seat...` | `The Imperial Cult cosmology defines caste-tiers as conditions-of-capture and operates as the Hivemind's ideological apparatus. *(Specific iconography in closed studio-art repo.)*` |
| `six realms as mod-status gradient (deva/asura/manusya/tiryak/preta/naraka)` | `caste-tier-as-mod-status gradient (deva/asura/manusya/tiryak/preta/naraka)` *(retain caste names; drop the "six realms" religious-cosmological framing)* |
| `capsule-as-Naraka carried inside every modded skull` | `the mind-capsule carried inside every modded skull (canonical iconography in closed studio-art repo)` |
| `The deferred-moksha doctrine (your children will be free) as the binding-lie` | KEEP — "the deferred-moksha doctrine" as named-mechanic + the binding-lie phrasing. The *doctrine* is mechanic; only the source-tradition framing migrates. |
| `Boullée + Jantar Mantar + Gita aesthetic substrate` | `(specific aesthetic vocabulary in closed studio-art repo)` |
| `orthodox vs heretical wheel iconography split` | `the doctrinal split between imperially-sanctioned iconography and resistance-iconography (specifics in closed studio-art repo)` |

## File-by-file scope

| File | Scope | Likely effort |
|---|---|---|
| `architecture-index.md` | **Heavy** — multiple key-moves entries describe specifics. Affected entries: "Imperial Cult cosmology authored", "The clasp unified across registers", "Orthodox vs heretical wheel split", "Aesthetic palette as semantic vocabulary", "The double recognition (meta-design)". Quick-reference table row for imperial-cult/cosmology.md needs updating to point at stub or closed-repo. | 30-45 min careful editing |
| `identity-and-personhood/bodies.md` | **Medium** — going-rogue arc cites cosmology heavily; references to deferred-moksha (KEEP as mechanic) + six realms (mechanic-level: keep caste-tier-gradient phrasing; drop "six realms" framing). Header note may reference cosmology specifics. | 20-30 min |
| `identity-and-personhood/architecture.md` | **Light** — limited references; mostly already mechanic-level (post-rogue mod-vocation, etc.). One or two passes. | 10 min |
| `identity-and-personhood/vocations.md` | **Light** — one Bhavachakra reference (the diurnal-grammar section I added: *"Bhavachakra gains its diurnal grammar"*). Replace: *"the world's cyclic-cosmology gains its diurnal grammar"* or similar. | 5 min |
| `political-register/world-generation.md` | **Light** — single deferred-moksha reference. Confirm it's mechanic-level (likely fine to keep) or rephrase. | 5 min |
| `style/gender-parity.md` | **Light** — single deferred-moksha reference. Confirm mechanic-level or rephrase. | 5 min |
| `README.md` | **Medium** — project-overview describes the world; needs careful balance to keep accessibility while abstracting iconography. Some Imperial-Cult-content here may be appropriate to retain at high level (since README is a public-facing introduction); decision-point. | 15-20 min |
| `LICENSING.md`, `NOTICE` | **Skip** — these intentionally describe what's been migrated; mentions are correct. | n/a |

## Verification commands

After edits, run these to confirm cleanup:

```bash
# Should return only LICENSING.md, NOTICE, README.md (and possibly MIGRATION_CLEANUP_PLAN.md if still present mid-cleanup):
grep -l "Bhavachakra\|Imperial Wheel\|Yama" --include="*.md" -r .

# Should return only LICENSING.md, NOTICE, README.md, and the stub at imperial-cult/cosmology.md:
grep -l "Boullée\|Jantar Mantar" --include="*.md" -r .

# Should return only LICENSING.md, NOTICE, README.md, the stub, and any open papers that intentionally retain "deferred-moksha" as named-mechanic:
grep -l "deferred-moksha" --include="*.md" -r .
```

## Coherence check

After edits, read the affected papers end-to-end and verify:
- Architecture remains coherent without the migrated iconography
- Mechanic-level cosmological-function descriptions are intact
- Cross-references to `imperial-cult/cosmology.md` resolve to the stub (which is fine)
- No broken section-anchors (links like `cosmology.md §The unified clasp` resolve only at file-level now; that's acceptable for the stub period)
- The going-rogue arc still reads coherently with abstracted cosmology
- The post-rogue mod-vocation still reads coherently
- Caste-tier names (deva/asura/etc.) appear consistently across papers

## Commit strategy

Single commit covering all edits + this MIGRATION_CLEANUP_PLAN.md deletion:

```
v0.25: cleanup of inline Imperial-Cult references in open papers

[paragraph describing the changes]

Closes the migration cycle initiated in v0.22 (licensing-marker), v0.24 
(cosmology.md → stub), and inaugural commit of studio.nimmerworld.eachpath.local 
(canonical home).

Co-Authored-By: ...
```

## After cleanup

This file (`MIGRATION_CLEANUP_PLAN.md`) gets DELETED in the cleanup commit. Phoebe task `Migration follow-up: extract inline Imperial-Cult references from open papers + replace with structural stubs` gets marked DONE.

The migration cycle then closes: substrate/content split is fully physical AND fully reflected in the open papers' inline-vocabulary.

---

**Status:** scaffold | **Created:** 2026-04-27 (late-evening session) | **For execution by:** next-session-chrysalis with fresh context | **Delete on completion**